Human Decency

October 12, 2009

People are busy today, just getting through their day. For what? More of the same, go to work, take care of the kids. What ever happened to us? There was a movement at one time, a humanitarian effort, to take care of those less fortunate than ourselves. What ever happened to that? I’ve read a few things that speak about selfishness being a sort of "mental" illness. I tend to agree. There are those that think just because they go to church on Sunday that they are "covered", they have done their part...how wrong they are. The main message I would impart would be that you must walk the walk, talk the talk, yes, you have to get your hands dirty! So many people are unhappy and depressed these days and no bloody wonder!! We are walking contradictions of belief versus action. I am not a religious type, I don’t even believe in God as many of you do, however, I know that the things that give us a sense of worth, can not be bought. My favorite quote these days is "Recommend to your children virtue; that alone can make them Happy, not Gold." by Ludwig van Beethoven. The answer is so simple that it is lost on most people today. The solutions to today’s problems stem from one simple word, Love. Yes, Love, good old fashioned, brotherly/sisterly Love! How we treat others is a direct reflection on us. If you spend your day in anger, mistrust and resentment, it is a day truly lost to you plus the people you encountered while in this state, yes, it had an affect on them and it wasn’t good. If you disrespect others, you disrespect yourself. I’ve often heard this phrase "People mistake kindness for weakness" but I think it is so wrong. It takes much more "control" to be kind and nice, especially considering how easy most people find it to be the opposite. No thought for the person they are cutting off in traffic, no thought for the person they were rude to on the phone or what the ramifications to that action may be. Negative thought and action begets more negative thought and action. It isn’t easy to face "today" with a smile on your face, let alone, being nice to everyone you encounter. When I face my day, I treat everyone I encounter with kindness and no it’s not phony. I DO care how other people are, I care about the people that die every day, that needn’t die. I treat everyone as if they were ME. How would I want to be treated? When you go through life thinking and saying that you are a good person and your actions are different, you are in contradiction with the one basic thing that makes you feel like a "decent" human being. My Son once lamented that he was always getting the shaft from other people and I told him that he might want to try being "nice" to people. His reply floored me "I don’t "want" to be nice to other people, Mom!" to which I replied "Well Son, then you will continue to find yourself in these types of situations". Happily, he has since improved and enjoyed the fruits of his labor. It is more difficult to be nice and kind. It’s so much easier to return rudeness and aggressive behavior with rudeness and aggressive behavior, although it does nothing to make YOU feel good. I always tell people when they remark on my courtesy and generosity, that I have a motive, indeed, it makes "me" feel good. I don’t give because I think I might get something in return, my kindness and generosity are genuine, I do it because I want to. I would give the shirt off of my back if need be. To better this world and humanity is my hope. I want the same or better for my children and grandchildren, not worse! What makes someone a good person in my eyes, is how they treat others. We are truly, all we have. If we continue to not care and do nothing to improve things, we are truly lost! You can go to Church and put your donation in the plate, but if you wouldn’t give the beggar on the street corner a dollar, then you are missing something. As human beings, we have a responsibility to take care of those that are less fortunate. There is an alarming movement in this Country, a very selfish and hateful one! I, for one, refuse to be a part of it. I watched an older movie last night and thought it has a very powerful message today! The title is "They Live" by John Carpenter. Indeed, "they" do live and "they" have pulled the wool over our eyes. "They" are the corrupt politicians and the ultra rich that have those corrupt politicians in their back pockets!! History does repeat itself and we are going down the wrong path in a hard way. I only hope that we can wake up and recover "human decency".